The art of Lora Eberly Ballou, seen here in 1890 at about the age of 20, is the focus of a new exhibition opening at the Old Town Hall Museum in Stamford, Conn. It will run from Sept. 27, 2012, to Jan. 31, 2013. For more information on hours and tours, visit www.LoraBallou.com. less

The art of Lora Eberly Ballou, seen here in 1890 at about the age of 20, is the focus of a new exhibition opening at the Old Town Hall Museum in Stamford, Conn. It will run from Sept. 27, 2012, to Jan. 31, ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Lora Eberly Ballou's "Change of Season" will be among a collection of about 30 oil paintings in the first solo exhibition being shown at the Old Town Hall Museum in Stamford, Conn. The show runs Sept. 27, 2012, to Jan. 31, 2013. For more information, visit www.LoraBallou.com or call 203-977-8203. less

Lora Eberly Ballou's "Change of Season" will be among a collection of about 30 oil paintings in the first solo exhibition being shown at the Old Town Hall Museum in Stamford, Conn. The show runs Sept. 27, 2012, ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Lora Eberly Ballou's 'Dock in Orlando' is among a number of her works that show some of the places she visited during her 106-year lifetime. Various works from the artist will get a showing at the Old Town Hall Museum in Stamford, Conn., for three months, beginning in September 2012. For more infomation, visit www.LoraBallou.com. less

Lora Eberly Ballou's 'Dock in Orlando' is among a number of her works that show some of the places she visited during her 106-year lifetime. Various works from the artist will get a showing at the Old Town Hall ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo

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Persistent pursuit: Artwork of a lifetime to be displayed in Stamford

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On this morning, the walls of several rooms in Stamford's Old Town Hall are barren of art. Thin lines of cable are the only signs that paintings will soon be hung.

Apt symbolism for the many blank canvases that presented themselves to Lora Eberly Ballou over her lifetime -- a lifetime that stretched from 1870 to 1976. Rarely without a paintbrush, her paint or her passion to capture her surroundings, this native of Bowling Green, Ohio, created a visual biography of the places she visited and the objects that brought her joy. It is a body of work that her grandson, Stamford resident Bob Phillips, soon hopes to share with the public. "We always knew she was focused on art," Phillips said recently, recalling visits to his maternal grandmother's Montclair, N.J., home as a child. "Every time we went to visit ... she would be painting or sketching."

"A Persistent Passion: The Art of Lora Eberly Ballou: 1870-1976" is set to open at the Old Town Hall Museum, 175 Atlantic St., Thursday, Sept. 27, and run through Jan. 31. This week, art will begin to go up on the walls, a collection largely held by Phillips and his wife, Pat, which was supplemented by paintings that Ballou gave to friends and other family members. All told, this solo show will feature more than 30 oil paintings, including landscapes and floral still-life works, a collection of personal effects and familial artifacts and a historical time line, which puts milestones in Ballou's life in perspective with historical happenings and major trends in art.

Phillips, along with his wife, is sponsoring this three-month exhibition, which will be the first works of art to grace this public space since a 2010 show, "Cultural Connections." That exhibition, which featured 12 regional artists and photographers, served as part of the celebration festivities for the public reopening of the historic building after an extensive restoration project.

Later that year, Phillips and his wife attended a victory celebration at the building, following former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy's gubernatorial win. As the couple looked around the space, located in the heart of Stamford's downtown area, they realized its potential as a public art space.

"The night after the reception, we went home and started looking at my grandmother's art," he said.

Up until that moment, however, Ballou had simply been Phillips' grandmother, a wonderful, creative and vibrant woman who had produced a large body of work that had been enjoyed by family and friends, as well as the institutions to which she had donated various pieces. He said he had never thought about displaying her work in public.

But that evening's reevaluation of Ballou's work strengthened the couple's resolve that the space and the time was just right.

"We said to each other `we can do this,' and we did it," he said.

Of course, the process took a couple of years, from beginning to end, and required assistance and support from city officials and other organizations, such as the Old Town Hall Redevelopment Agency. The show is being co-curated by Stamford residents Valerie Cooper, a Stamford-based art consultant and appraiser, and Lina Morielli, an artist and arts advocate. It is the same duo that put together "Cultural Connections."

"It is a wonderful story," said Morielli, of Ballou, a woman who painted for most of her life and remained creative well into her second century. "She never stopped."

Fortunately for the co-curators, Bob Phillips had already started on a family history, as part of his studies in the early 2000s to earn his master's in business administration.

For Cooper, the experience brought her closer to a woman she never met.

"I feel I know Lora quite well, in terms of certain aspects of her life," she said on a recent morning. "I really fell like the client is Lora, and I really hope what we have created is pleasing and fitting in her eyes."

The exhibit has provided Cooper, Morielli and Phillips with a chance to collaborate with the Stamford public schools, specifically art teachers and students, further highlighting the art's ability to serve a public good.

Cooper has been working with Paul Cusano, the content leader for art for the Stamford Public Schools, to create a professional development workshop. The hope is that once the teachers spend a day immersed in the art and Ballou's story they will walk away with lesson plans and an idea of how to prepare middle and high school students for their own field trips to the museum.

Such connections speak to the potential of that space, Morielli said.

"It becomes a foundation for real partnerships and creativity and an opportunity for art to flourish," she said. "It can become a real cultural hub."

For years, the Phillips, who moved from Montclair, N.J., (Ballou's former home) to Stamford in 1974 with their then young children, have been active in the community, including human service organizations, education initiatives, and arts and cultural development.

The Phillips have seen the evolution of downtown Stamford and watched what support from residents, visitors, politicians and business people can achieve in terms of creating cultural opportunities and a vibrant center.

Bob Phillips said he is hopeful that this show, and the collaborations it is spurring, will encourage others to see the potential of the Old Town Hall Museum and work to ensure future events.

"This is like throwing seeds," Phillips said. "We want this to sprout."